Indianapolis — The Clark & Reese Show’s first year has been unlike any other in WNBA history.

The playoffs begin on Sunday, so this season’s last chapter remains unscheduled. However, the rookie seasons and attention Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have received make the league’s prospects exceedingly promising beyond this season.

Sold-out stadia became the norm. Soaring television ratings helped to grow the fan base. Clark, Reese, likely league MVP A’ja Wilson, and others were always chasing record-breaking numbers. Routine chats and social media posts sparked intense debates on topics ranging from basketball to culture.

“Watching the basketball that’s been played this season and the talent that’s been on the floor across the league, it’s been phenomenal,” Chicago Sky veteran Lindsay Allen stated. “The two rookies, Caitlin and Angel – Angel has been a game changer for us, setting records. The basketball has been at a very high level, as has the interest.

Caitlin Clark And Angel Reese Change The WNBA’s Landscape, And Its Future

It’s tough to overlook how far the sport has come since Clark, Reese, and perhaps the best rookie class in league history arrived in April. The league’s timing was also right.

Clark and Reese added their swagger, confidence, and enthusiasm to a rivalry that enthralled college basketball fans. That momentum carried over into the pros and raised the profile of everyone in the league.

And, while everyone tried to manage the elevated expectations, Clark and Reese, in particular, outperformed them.

The Indiana Fever guard holds rookie records in scoring (761), 3-pointers (120), and All-Star Game assists (10). She set league single-game (19) and single-season records for assists (329), becoming the first rookie to ever record a triple-double. She now believes the playoffs hold the potential for a title run.

“Once we get there, I think it’ll feel a little more real, and, obviously, we’re not just happy to be there,” said Clark, who helped Indiana snap the second-longest postseason drought in league history, which lasted seven years. “We believe we can compete with every team that will be in the playoffs. Obviously, the only team we didn’t beat this year was the (Las Vegas) Aces, and I believe we’d meet them in the Finals.”

Reese was just as efficient, if not more so, during her stellar season.

Chicago’s rookie forward set new league records for single-season rebounds (446), offensive rebounds (172), and overall rebounding average (13.1). Reese’s single-season rebound record did not last long, as Wilson shattered it while Reese was sidelined with a season-ending injury.

Reese became the first rookie to have an All-Star Game double-double, as well as the first WNBA player to have 20 or more rebounds in consecutive games, with 24 double-doubles breaking the league’s rookie record.

The one big disappointment has been Reese’s wrist injury, which curtailed his season after 34 games, perhaps keeping the Sky out of the playoffs and jeopardizing his Rookie of the Year prospects.

The Clark-Reese relationship continues to drive fan debates, comparable to the barbershop talks over Larry Bird and Magic Johnson in 1980, when they both played leading roles as rookies.

Clark and Reese’s polarising characters landed them squarely in the middle of debates about everything from hard fouls to technical fouls, as well as cultural topics like sexuality and ethnicity.

But there’s no denying that their presence — and rivalry — paved the way for increased endorsements and fan participation, including children who began wearing the players’ jerseys even before tip-off.

Everyone seems to have a favorite moment, from Clark’s corn maze in northwestern Indiana to Reese’s appearance on a large electronic billboard in Chicago to promote blue jeans, or Wilson and her teammates’ tears of joy streaming down their cheeks as she broke the league’s single-season scoring record at Indiana.

Caitlin Clark And Angel Reese Change The WNBA’s Landscape, And Its Future

“I’ve been in this league long enough to play alongside some amazing players, Hall of Fame players, and this one is no different,” Aces forward Alysha Clark said, wiping her emotions as she sat next to Wilson. “When you have players of this calibre playing now, appreciate it because she won’t be here forever. She’s going to retire and live her life, and people will be amazed at what she’s accomplished, and I’m like, ‘Marvel at it now.'”

Fans of Clark and Reese have similar feelings about the two 22-year-olds, who appear set to be the league’s face for years to come and key members of the 2028 US Olympic Team.

But it’s not just a bright future for the rookies; it’s also a bright future in a league where ticket demand and visibility have skyrocketed as players play in full arenas.

“We’ve seen a lot of people talking about the WNBA and the Fever,” said Indiana guard Lexie Hull. “I think a lot of that comes from people being invested in the college game and then coming over, following the players they like, following the ’W” and it’s fairly incredible.”

SOURCE | AP

Fort Lauderdale, Florida – The Stanley Cup is still on its championship journey through South Florida. It was on a basketball court with the Miami Heat this week, will be somewhere else on Thursday, and has a few more appearances scheduled after that. So, in some ways, the party associated with winning the NHL championship is still going strong.

That is, except for the Florida Panthers’ practice facility. The champions are back at work.

Stanley Cup Champion Panthers Getting Back To Work, Insisting It’s Time To Look Forward

Florida begins training camp on Thursday, and coach Paul Maurice makes one thing clear: it’s time to start preparing for the next title run, not to continue reveling in the title run that ended in June.

“There will be some backward-looking stuff, which is understandable. “We’ll handle the banner raisings, ring ceremonies, and all of the other fun stuff,” Maurice said Wednesday as the squad gathered for its annual media day. “But we’ll be very sure that our day is completely focused on what we’re doing, not living in the past.”

That message appears to be reaching its intended audience.

Most players have been back in South Florida for at least a few weeks. According to Maurice, the returning Panthers are all in better form than they were at this point last season, as evidenced by pre-camp conditioning testing. The big test comes Thursday with the first practices, and Maurice’s training camp sessions are famously difficult.

“The hangover concept, we will not believe in it,” Maurice stated. “It’s not a physical concern for us. We’re stronger than we were at this point last year, which is a testament to them because they couldn’t have improved without putting in the effort.”

Florida’s top eight scorers, Sam Reinhart, Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Bennett, Evan Rodrigues, Gustav Forsling, and Anton Lundell, are all back from last season. Verhaeghe and Reinhart scored in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, as Florida defeated Edmonton 2-1 to win its first title and avoid an epic collapse after winning the first three games of the series, and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky returns for his sixth season as the Panthers’ go-to guy in net.

Some roster places are up for grabs, but the core from the title run remains mostly intact. Even though the Cup has been won, capping a lifelong dream for Maurice and the players, there is enough motivation to win it again.

“At the end of the day, I love what I do,” Bobrovsky added. “It is a blessing to be here today, and I am delighted to compete for the dream again. However, it makes little difference what happened in the past. I simply care about the moment at hand, which is this one.”

Things will start moving swiftly. Practices begin Thursday, and Florida plays its first two preseason games on Sunday, including the usual doubleheader versus Nashville, in which most, if not all, of the 50 or so available players in camp will play.

Stanley Cup Champion Panthers Getting Back To Work, Insisting It’s Time To Look Forward

The Cup banner will be raised on October 8, when Florida hosts Boston in the regular season opener. With that, the 82-game grind will begin. But Maurice swears that he isn’t skipping any steps, that he hasn’t even considered opening night or anything else between now and then.

“I’m not prepared for anything but Day One.” “I don’t want to think about Day 2,” Maurice stated. “You cannot win the Stanley Cup on September 19th, the first day of practice. But you may begin the process by giving yourself a chance. This will be Day One on the ice. You have to be aware of how difficult it was and do the effort and pay the price in order to give yourself a shot.”

SOURCE | AP

Donna Kelce is the newest family member to make her mark in the entertainment industry, appearing in two upcoming Hallmark Christmas films that are, appropriately, football-themed.

True to form, she will not choose between her sons, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis and recently retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason. “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story” revolves around a “fan of the year” contest for the team, while “Christmas on Call” stars a die-hard Eagles fan who helps his love interest come to know Philadelphia, according to a Hallmark Channel release this week.

Donna Kelce Is Making Her Film Debut In 2 Hallmark Movies — Football-Themed, Of Course

While Donna is no stranger to the camera, having been in Jason Kelce’s documentary and several gameday photos, the two films constitute her acting debut. In “Holiday Touchdown,” she portrays the manager of a barbecue restaurant. While it’s unclear whether she’s portraying a character or herself in “Christmas on Call,” her task is to guarantee that one of the protagonists “orders her cheesesteak the authentic way – ‘whiz wit.'”

The cameo announcements follow Travis Kelce’s efforts into Hollywood: he hosted “Saturday Night Live” in early 2023 before his connection with Taylor Swift catapulted his reputation, and he’s now due to appear in Ryan Murphy’s “Grotesquerie” and host “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?” He also received his first producer credit this year.

Donna Kelce Is Making Her Film Debut In 2 Hallmark Movies — Football-Themed, Of Course

Jason Kelce, meanwhile, has joined ESPN as an analyst. He’ll also appear in one of his mother’s films: “Christmas on Call” will feature “Santa Drives an Astrovan,” by The Philly Specials — also known as Jason Kelce and Eagles players Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson — starring Mt. Joy, according to the announcement. It’s from a future album, and the revenues will benefit the Children’s Crisis Treatment Centre and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

The Kelce brothers also signed a lucrative partnership with Amazon’s Wondery for their famous “New Heights” podcast.

SOURCE | AP